MA returns with a win

There’s no debate about it: juniors Michael Everett and Hugh Mayo are this years state debate champions. On Dec. 1, the pair, along with the rest of the debate team, gathered to compete at the state tournament. In order to prepare for the great debate, Everett and Mayo stayed after school every day and had daily Skype sessions to go over their case plans and strategies.

Minnehaha’s debate champtions, juniors Michael Everett and Hugh Mayo, prepare for the 2012 state competition at South St. Paul High School. Photo by Will Anema.

“It is also important to note that without the hard work of everyone else on the team, who wrote the basic outline, or idea, of what would become our speeches to the more than 80 pages of evidence that was collected we would have been in serious trouble,” said Everett.

Considered the underdogs, Minnehaha “came from behind for the win” in the classic debate competition.

“I was hoping for fifth place or higher,” said Mayo. “Third place tops. [But] we just kept winning.”

Mayo said that as they went on, the competition got fiercer. “Everybody stepped up their game so it was harder than usual,” he said. “They announced we won by a three-and-oh decision, [but] when they said three-and-oh I though ‘Oh man, we lost.'”

Despite their fears, the pair walked away state champions.